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Top 10 for 2016

As we say goodbye to 2016, Assholes are asking what’s the best thing you saw this year? And more hilarious for us, what was the worst? Happy new year to all of you, and a special thanks to all of you who stop by and leave comments. They are the oxygen of this site.

9. Hell or High Water: The best thing about this movie is that it sneaks up on you. It’s not flashy. It just builds. The writing is good and it earns every minute of screen time.

8. Jackie: Natalie Portman is spot-on in this film, but what I really enjoyed is seeing very familiar events, events we are so hyper-aware of they’re part of our collective conscience, be re-told from her perspective. And suddenly it’s fresh and eye-opening, yet still mysterious in the way only Jackie could be.

7. Arrival: A sci-fi movie that’s cerebral and genre-defying is exactly what I needed without even knowing it. The set-up is very precise and thoughtful, so even if you see the twist coming, it still unravels quite elegantly. Amy Adams is sublime.

5. Manchester By The Sea: It’s a tough watch, and not exactly a ‘rewarding’ one but it takes a lot of courage to deviate from the ending we want and expect and instead go towards what’s real and honest, even if it leaves us feeling hollow.

4. Moonlight: Haunting in its portrayal of a perspective that feels at once unique, and universal. The film is well-crafted, the character unforgettable, the acting note-worthy across the board. Disarming, graceful, truthful.

3. Swiss Army Man: This movie just made my heart sing. It’s offbeat and original. It’s also maybe a little inconsistent, but the highs were so damn high I can forgive it nearly anything.

Oh boy, so many movies I haven’t actually seen yet! I’m still compiling my best & worst lists. I’m torn between Arrival and Hunt For the Wilderpeople as my favourite, but I reckon Get a Job was the worst I was this year.

Interesting Top 10. I love how you love indie cinema 😉 I need to check out the doc Peter & The Farm and Blue Jay. I really enjoyed Hell or High Water, so I’m surprised it’s on the lower end of the Top 10. That also makes me want to see the other films even more. Hehehe. I still need to see the heavyweights like Manchester at the Sea and La La Land. There were quite a few noteworthy films this year, so making the Top 10 must have been a challenge. Thanks. This was a compelling read 🙂 I’d honorable mention Nice Guys and Sing Street from what’s shining in the spotlight here.

I do love indie cinema, but I hadn’t really realized that this list reflects that until you pointed it out.
I did this based on memory so there may be one or two that I just plum forgot about, but yes, there were lots I had to cut, and the ones yuo mentioned were on the long list. I also was surprised I didn’t end up with any animated ones, Loved Kubo especially. It’s probably #11.

Yes, looking at UK top 10 lists, lots of those I saw eons ago!! And yet you guys will still get a few before us. It’s weird and confusing and I think studios should just release them at the same time already.

Thanks so much for the link! And the others. I’ve not had a chance to look at end-of-year lists yet so it’s cool having these links in one place. : ) Being in the UK, I’ve not seen a lot of these yet. La La Land & Manchester by the Sea open this week. Not sure when Moonlight is out… I noticed that Wilderpeople is on Amazon Prime so I need to check that out. Never even heard of Blue Jay, though! And still think Swiss Army Man sounds nuts but it’s one I’ll definitely watch at home. : )